iPhone app aids Police in Arresting MA Robbery Suspect

The uses of the iPhone and its myriad apps-aiding travel, entertainment, and even weight loss-are countless. Yesterday, however, the iPhone served a particularly noble cause: helping arrest a suspect in a robbery at an MBTA station. According to news reports, on Tuesday, a woman reported that around 9:30pm she was at the Beaconsfield T station on the MBTA’s D Line when she was pushed from behind and had her face pressed against the wall. The woman gave up her purse upon the robber’s demand-turning over her money, checkbook, keys, iPod, and iPhone.

Thanks to the iPhone’s “MobileMe App,” however, the police were able to track down a suspect in the robbery within a few hours. This application apparently permits the iPhone’s user to track the phone-as long as it’s turned on-in real time. After initially reporting the incident to the police, the woman began to track the movement of her phone (and thus the suspect) using this app. She reported the phone’s movements to the police, who used this information to spot a teenager matching the woman’s description of the robber and who was carrying a phone. Indeed, the teen was carrying the woman’s iPhone. Since the teenager is considered a juvenile, his name has not been released.

Similar incidents of iPhone apps-including the “Find my iPhone” app and the iPhone’s GPS-aiding law enforcement in catching burglars and felons have been reported in other states. Along with these tracking devices, specific iPhone apps have been designed to aid law enforcement, including the Miranda Warning, Vehicle Identification System, “Spanish for Police,” and DUI Warning and Test Instructions.

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